The Mike Hosking Breakfast

One of the many things I have failed to truly understand about this election is just what is it they think Jennifer Anniston or Harrison Ford is going to do for your vote. 

The celebrity endorsement has been a mainstay of the Democrat's campaign – mainly because there are very few so called “famous people” in places like Hollywood that aren't liberals. She has not been short of choice. 

At some point I decided it started to look desperate.  

LeBron, Jon Bon Jovi over the weekend with a song, Bruce Springsteen is an old favourite, Lady Gaga, and of course if they manage to roll out Taylor Swift its reached peak endorsement. Or peak panic – one or the other. 

Swift has already endorsed, but it seems its better if you show up for a song. 

Jennifer Lopez showed up but didn’t sing, but she did manage to look sensationally earnest. 

My suggestion is this: celebs are a bust. They are not what they used to be. 

I love LeBron, I love what he is about, I love how good he is, and he can vote any way he wants, I’ll still love him. But he is never going to tell me how to vote, no matter which way I vote. 

Could he sway an impressionable 18 year old sports freak? Maybe. Maybe that’s why he’s out there.  

But a lot of them aren't of LeBron’s weightiness – a lot of them are as shallow as a puddle. That is modern celebrity. 

This isn't Carey Grant, Lucille Ball, or Shaun Connery; the days of mystery and intrigue. These are the days of TikTok, where these people are so omnipresent they could be our mail men, hence the star power is dimmed, the influence has faded. 

The idea that we can't think for ourselves is preposterous. 

If celebrities worked, this would be a land slide, and yet it isn't. It’s Trump and Hulk Hogan versus Harris and virtually the entire film and music industry. 

Somehow the Dems have missed the memo and if they lose, what does that say about the entire film and music industry? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Place your bets – it's Melbourne Cup Day. 

Three New Zealand-trained horses are in this year’s race: Sharp N Smart, Positivity, and Trust In You. 

Sharp N Smart is the most favoured of the three Kiwi entrants and is owned by Graeme Rogerson and his wife.  

Debbie Rogerson told Mike Hosking they’re feeling good about their prospects. 

“We’re very, very happy with the horse,” she said. 

“Couldn't be more than happy the way everything’s just fallen into place.” 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Germany's coalition government is on shaky ground.  

The country’s struggling economy has sparked infighting between the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), with the coalition on the brink of collapse.  

Europe Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking the three coalition parties have been holding emergency talks to try to bridge policy divisions. 

She says the Free Democratic Party's policy of tax cuts have been particularly unpopular. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday the 5th of November, on the eve of the US Presidential Election, so what do all the polls say is going to happen in about 36 hours? 

The Prime Minister faces some questions over the Government's bootcamps and potential use of force by staff. 

In an exclusive long form chat, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to Mike about the US election, what he thinks of Trump, and his upcoming visit to New Zealand. 

Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boris Johnson is praising the presidency of his friend and ally Donald Trump. 

The former British Prime Minister has spoken exclusively to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking on the eve of the US election, as final polling shows key battleground states could still go either way. 

Johnson is commending the unpredictability of US democracy, compared with countries like China and Russia. 

He says he has a good relationship with Kamala Harris, but he disagrees with the public perception of Trump. 

Johnson says the former president was robust on Syria, Iran, and Russia.  

He told Hosking that if Trump is a “nutjob”, there is definitely a method to his madness. 

Johnson says another Donald Trump presidency could ease the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

He says Trump has opposed aid to Ukraine only to separate himself from political opponents like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.  

If elected, he says Trump would be stern on Putin and wouldn't allow NATO and the United States to be humiliated. 

Johnson will be offering more of his insights as the the International Keynote Speaker at a one off “Long Lunch” event in Auckland this December. For more information, click here. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is standing by the Government's military-style boot camp programme. 

Under the programme, children are spending three months in a youth justice residence and nine months getting community support under the current pilot programme. 

A leaked document from Children's Minister Karen Chhour has suggested giving military-style academy providers the power to use force could increase the risk of abuse. 

But Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking there are psychologists and social workers involved who are looking after the interests of young people. 

He says they are up at 6:30, in uniform, with a high level of physical training, but they're also writing resumes, thinking about job interviews, and have all the support they need. 

Luxon says that comparing the programme to abuse in state care is disingenuous. 

He told Hosking there was no oversight or monitoring decades ago, but they are now focused on care and rehabilitation. 

He says they have multiple layers of protection, and the checks and balances are there. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An education expert says the Government's targeted maths trial will help catch a lot of the students currently slipping through the cracks. 

The Government's announced a trial programme to accelerate the skills of about 2000 Year 7 and 8 students who are behind in maths.  

It will run in the first two terms of next year, with small-group tutoring and supervised online tuition up to four times a week. 

Education Hub Founder Nina Hood told Mike Hosking everyone can get maths, it's just about being taught in a way that builds skills. 

She says when people don't get those basic skills, it prevents them from doing more advanced maths. 

Hood says the tutoring pairs well with the new incoming curriculum, and if it’s done right, there’ll need to be less intervention over time.  

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris remain neck-and-neck on the eve of polling day, but one top polling expert is picking the election for Trump. 

Trump is spending the day in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. 

Harris is focusing on Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state with 19 Electoral College votes. 

Polling analyst Henry Olsen told Mike Hosking he believes Trump will narrowly win more Electoral College votes. 

He says the country has shifted to the right, and Harris isn't winning enough independent voters to offset that. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boss of Westpac's New Zealand arm insists our banking market is competitive. 

Westpac is reporting a 10% increase in net profit in New Zealand while being hit by "intense market competition" in Australia. 

It comes as the bank bosses are being hauled before a banking inquiry at Parliament. 

Catherine McGrath told Mike Hosking the bank is positioned to support Kiwis as the economy starts to grow. 

She says as the smallest of the big four banks, Westpac believes any way to make competition easy is a good thing. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support for the Australian Labor party and the coalition has dropped.  

Australian correspondent Steve Price tells Mike Hosking a new poll published in The Australian shows Prime Minister Anthony Alabanese is seen as incompetent and useless. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.